Chai's Analysis

the pakistan and us connection

There are so many connections between Pakistan and the United States. We literally have our fingers in every single country in this world, don't we? What is happening in Pakistan affects us, in the United States, more than I think we think it does. To boil it down, this is what I believe has happened:

• U.S. support General Musharaff, who took power via a military coup, to help end terrorism.
• Mushie writes a book and claims that Pakistan is a democratic state.
• Mushie puts the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court in jail because he didn't like what he said.
• Through increasing pressure, past exile leaders attempt to come back to Pakistan.
• Bhutto successfully comes back and bombs kill her supporters and on-lookers.
• Mushie calls for an emergency state and freezes the Pakistan Constitution.
• Subsequently, Mushie forces judges and lawyers to support him; if not, see yourself go to prison.
• Bhutto puts pressure on Mushie to end emergency rule. She wants to protest.
• Mushie puts Bhutto on house arrest, with hundreds of police guarding one house.

Man, what a trip! And the psycho part is this- it could happen here and some people think it has happened here. Yes, we are a democratic country, but in real terms, we are a republic. We have a popular vote (the one that Al Gore won) and we have an electoral vote (the one that George W. won). Simplified, the electoral vote has more pull.

When George W. walked into office, he brought Cheney (an ex-officio of corporation). He also came in with notions of military power exceeding Constitutional powers. We have people, under the guise of the PATRIOT Act, arresting and detaining American citizens, without any Constitutional rights of an attorney, speedy trial, or being detained with a charge. We have judicial and legislative powers being trumped for executive privileges and power. At least in other countries, they have the integrity to call it what is (emergency rule). We still call ourselves the leaders in bringing democracy. It looks like we are teaching and leading examples of a military/coup like government rule.

Yesterday, lawyers from NYC rallied in support of the lawyers and judicial branch in Pakistan. Below are a few pictures from the rally. There were hundreds of people there, mostly non-South Asian, who listened to speeches by presidents of the various bars and the son of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who is a NYC lawyer.

posted by Chai at 8:00 AM